page_title: Als (island)
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: Als (island) / History
context_page_description: Als is a Danish island in the Baltic Sea.
context_section_description: There are many archeological finds that show the island has been inhabited from the late Stone Age.  From the Bronze Age comes the Hjortspring Boat.
  During the Middle Ages the island came under the influence of a number of noblemen, each of which ruled over their portion of the island, and its citizens.  King Christian III's son, Duke John, came in possession of the island as a titular Duchy, and he bought the other noblemen out. The island was again divided into several smaller Duchies later on, but this venture failed eventually.
  The town of Augustenborg grew up around Augustenborg Palace which was established in the years after 1651 by Ernest Günther, a member of the ducal House of Schleswig-Holstein (its branch of Sønderborg), great-grandson of King Christian III, and a cadet of the royal house of Denmark. The palace, and the town consequently, received the name in honour of Ernest's wife Auguste, who was from another branch of the Dukes of Schleswig-Holstein.
  The palace became the chief seat of their line which used the name Augustenborg as its branch name. Later a Danish king made the head of that line specifically Duke of Augustenborg. They grew in relative prominence in late 18th century, and the Duke of Augustenborg became the dominating person on the island.
  The Duchy was taken over by the Danish Crown after the last Duke of Augustenborg to live at the palace, Christian August II, had sided with the Schleswig-Holstein pro-German nationalist movement against Denmark. He left on March 18, 1848.
  That same year during the First Schleswig War (1848–1851), the Danes directed their main attack against Field Marshal Friedrich Graf von Wrangel's Austro-Prussian army from the lighthouse on the peninsula of Kegnæs at the southwest end of Als.
  In 1864 the Battle of Als took place there.
  After these two wars over which nation would rule the island (and the whole of Schleswig), the following period saw the island under Prussian and German rule, although the island's population was largely Danish.
  In 1870 Als was fortified by Prussia.
  Following the Schleswig plebiscites of 1920, Als as part of the northern voting zone returned to Danish rule.
  After 1920 Als has been marked by growing industry, especially after 1945 when Danfoss grew into an international corporation.
  The Augustenburg line died out in the 20th century.
caption: Duchess Auguste, first Duchess of Augustenborg (1633–1701).
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